Year one is mostly listening
We don't push decisions in the first six months unless they're time-sensitive. Most of the early work is gathering documents, understanding what was in place, and figuring out where you are.
Financial planning for widows handled at your pace. For women facing decisions for the first time after the loss of a spouse, with a patient, step-by-step CFP-led approach.
We don't push decisions in the first six months unless they're time-sensitive. Most of the early work is gathering documents, understanding what was in place, and figuring out where you are.
Death certificates, account retitling, beneficiary claims, Social Security survivor benefit filing, life insurance claims, pension elections, tax filings. We walk through the list.
Before any investment changes, we figure out what your income looks like now. Survivor benefits, pension elections, IRA withdrawals, taxable account decisions.
We work with your attorney, your accountant, and your family. Most widows don't need one more person selling them something. They need somebody coordinating the people already there.
We meet on a real cadence, usually quarterly. The plan flexes as your life and the tax code change. Most relationships span decades.
Offices in Boca Raton and Plantation, plus licensed in all 50 states. Existing clients keep us when they move.
Composite scenarios drawn from real client work, anonymized.
Cash flow stabilized, beneficiaries audited, a draft plan in hand. Most clients feel oriented by month three.
Tax positioning implemented, investment policy in place, the first quarterly reviews done. Decisions start compounding.
The plan has flexed to handle real-life shifts (a new job, a sale, a loss). The pattern is steady decisions, not reactive ones.
The pace matters. The financial industry tends to push for big decisions early. We do not. The work we do in the first year is mostly administrative and protective. The strategic decisions come later, when you've space to think.
Most widow engagements touch several of these:
Social Security survivor benefits have their own rules. We help you file and coordinate with your own retirement benefit timing.
See survivor benefit planning →Spousal vs non-spousal inherited IRA decisions. The choice has tax and withdrawal-rule consequences.
See inherited ira setup →Your estate plan needs to reflect your new situation. Beneficiary updates, trust restatements, will revisions.
See estate plan update →Many widows also fit one of these descriptions:
"Beth didn't push me to make any big decisions in the first year. We just got organized. The decisions came later, when I was actually ready to make them. That patience was the whole difference."
"After my husband passed, the survivor benefit and pension election decisions were overwhelming. Beth walked me through every one. She made sure I didn't miss the deadlines I didn't know about."
"I was a client of my husband's for 30 years. After he passed I felt like nobody talked to me. Beth treated me like the client from day one."
Posts our wealth advisors have put together on this topic.
There's no urgency for most strategic decisions. There IS urgency for some administrative items: filing for Social Security survivor benefits, claiming life insurance, and (depending on the situation) certain pension elections. We can help with the administrative checklist in the first month, then move at your pace on everything else.
Social Security survivor benefits are payable to widows and widowers who meet eligibility rules (generally age 60 and up, or earlier with disabilities or eligible children). The benefit's based on the deceased spouse's earnings record. We help with filing and with the timing question of when to claim your own benefit vs. the survivor benefit.
A spouse who inherits an IRA has the option of treating it as their own (rolling it into their existing IRA) or treating it as an inherited IRA. The right choice depends on age, RMD timing, and the broader plan. Non-spouse beneficiaries don't have the rollover option; they've an inherited IRA subject to the 10-year drawdown rule under the SECURE Act.
Depends on whether the business can run without him, whether you've the capacity (or interest) to run it, and whether there are buyers in the wings. We work with business attorneys and valuation experts to map out the options. The answer is usually not obvious in month one.
Three rules. First: any advisor pitching you a big change in the first year is probably moving too fast. Second: ask about the fiduciary standard, in writing. Third: don't move money to a new firm without an outside set of eyes. We'll tell you when something doesn't smell right, even when it involves another professional.
The first meeting is a conversation, not a sales pitch. We'll talk about where you are, what you're working through, and whether Intercoastal is the right fit. In person in Boca Raton or Plantation, or by video from anywhere.